Coupang, which posted a deficit exceeding 1 trillion won in the first half of this year alone due to the fallout from the data breach, is aiming for a performance turnaround through aggressive "reverse-thinking" investments rather than cost-cutting. It appears that marketing investments have been expanded to attract customers who switched to competing platforms and to increase new sign-ups.
According to Coupang Inc. on the 6th, of the 835 billion won operating loss incurred in the second quarter this year, a significant portion of the remaining 219.2 billion won (excluding the 624.7 billion won fine imposed by the Personal Information Protection Commission) stemmed from increased promotions and marketing aimed at re-attracting "Talpang" users.
A Coupang official explained, "A significant portion of the operating loss, excluding fines, was promotional costs," adding, "The fact that the deadline for using compensation coupons worth 50,000 won per customer paid in mid-January was April 15 also impacted profitability."
This strategy led to increased sales. Coupang's second-quarter revenue reached 13.3007 trillion won, setting a record high in terms of Korean won conversion. This represents a 3.5% increase compared to the previous peak of 12.8455 trillion won in the third quarter of 2025. The company analyzes that this indicates a trend of sales recovery even when considering exchange rate effects.
The number of active customers who purchased at least once from Coupang in the second quarter this year reached 24.7 million, recovering to levels prior to the data breach incident. It is also reported that the number of paid members (Wow Membership), which had decreased in the fourth quarter of last year and the first quarter of this year, began to rebound in the second quarter, surpassing pre-breach levels (estimated at 14–15 million).
In this regard, Kim Beom-seok, Chairman of Coupang Inc., explained during an earnings conference call that "the record-high number of members will be reflected in sales with a time lag." This implies that while losses were incurred due to external factors such as fines, the company's business competitiveness and growth potential remain high. He further predicted that if this trend continues, the company would return to growth rates and normal margin structures starting next year.
Girab Anand, Coupang's Chief Financial Officer (CFO), also stated during the conference call that "in the second quarter of this year, we saw a turnaround in trends thanks to returning customers and new customer inflows," adding, "The expanded marketing and promotional costs are short-term strategic investments to accelerate growth."
Considering that the estimated total payment amount for Coupang and Coupang Eats last month approached 6.2 trillion won, breaking a record high, it is highly likely that quarterly maximum sales will be achieved again in the third quarter this year.
However, Coupang is expected to post large-scale deficits in the second half of this year as well. This is because costs related to the fire at the Incheon logistics center in early July, amounting to approximately 350 billion won, and potential fines of up to 200 billion won are being considered for allegations against the Fair Trade Commission regarding Coupang Eats' "most-favored-nation" treatment requirements and the bundling of Wow Membership with Coupang Eats.
Fined amounts may be reduced after future administrative lawsuits, and some fire damage losses could be recovered through insurance payouts, potentially turning a series of losses into profits several years later. However, considering the 1st trillion won loss in the first half of this year alone and the additional financial burden of several hundred billion won expected to continue into the second half, Coupang's top priority has become increasing sales while minimizing losses until the business returns to normal operations.
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